The Kalispell Public Schools central kitchen is the hub of student nutrition, serving more than 2,000 meals daily for kindergarten through fifth grade plus some baking for the high schools.

In April a new central kitchen built by Meredith Construction was opened and the first thing cooked was head baker Linda Hadley’s dinner rolls.

The new 5,414-square-foot central kitchen at 106 Northwest Lane replaces an aging 3,600-square-foot central kitchen at Flathead High School.

The new kitchen is the final piece of a $3.35 million Kalispell elementary construction project that included classroom additions at Peterson and Edgerton elementary schools.

Hadley was on hand Tuesday to help lead tours along with Jennifer Montague, district food services director.

Montague said the open layout has increased efficiency and allows the department to focus on improving food service rather than just getting things to work.

“The increased efficiency allows us to focus on creating healthier, better-tasting food,” Montague said.

The tour drew both retired and current kitchen workers, board and community members and district staffers.

Hadley showed a few retired people who had worked in the old central kitchen around the equipment. Montague said the equipment is a combination of new and old brought over from the kitchen at Flathead.

Hadley opened a large door to a walk-in freezer.

Retired cook Gloria Jones was impressed. Jones had worked for 21 years and spent considerable time cooking in the old central kitchen.

“We never had this much freezer room. Wow,” Jones said.

“I think we tripled our freezer space and doubled our cooler space,” Montague said.

Hadley then demonstrated a rotating rack oven by wheeling in a tall baking rack and latching it in place.

 The women commented on how the old central kitchen had an oven that cooked food on a conveyor belt and pre-dated World War II.

“You couldn’t even get parts for it,” Hadley said.

Jacqueline Byers, who worked for the district as a cook for 25 years, described the cramped quarters of the old central kitchen where people worked “elbow to elbow.”

The old kitchen had several safety hazards and health-code violations.

“We have an open floor space now that leads to better communication, less wasted walking and the equipment doesn’t need constant repairs,” Montague said. “It’s easier to clean things.”

Tom Heinecke of Morrison Maierle pointed out the walls as an example.

“All the walls here are reinforced plastic so you can wash all of it,” Heinecke said.

The old walls were porous and problematic to clean, Montague said.

“In the old building the building codes were grandfathered in, so we could still function, but with the health department, we had health-code violations because walls and floors were crumbling,” Montague said. “One of the freezers was closed because of asbestos.”

Earlier in the tour, Hadley also commented on safety.

“It’s just a safer environment. Everything is up to code and there’s a lot more room,” Hadley said.

The project is on budget and has a few small additions of equipment and landscaping yet to be completed.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].